DRM by the back door
So now EA are starting a paid subscription service. If it proves successful others will follow and gamers will end up with a large monthly bill from subscribing to every individual games company. They’ll also be unable to lend, borrow or trade physical copies of the games which will lead to the dissolving of the second hand market.

This would be no different to what Microsoft tried. I can only hope that gamers don’t sleepwalk into the same scenario under a different guise that they so ardently rejected first time around. Gamers need to be aware of where it where it will lead.

I thought Microsoft had learned their lesson from their own DRM fiasco but evidently not. I feel a bit stupid to be surprised they’ve allowed this but any misplaced trust I had in them has completely dissolved. I don’t own a Xbox One as of yet and the chances of me doing so have decreased dramatically as a direct result of this move which I will not contribute to in any way, shape or form.PC1975 (gamertag)/PC1975PC (PSN ID)

4theaccounts
I’m really starting to worry about Sony now. I’m starting to think that E3 in 2013 wasn’t a change in strategy based on the problems and arrogance with PlayStation 3 but a reaction to Microsoft’s idea meltdown with the Xbox One. They were handed console sales on a plate and now some of the things they’re doing just don’t sit right with me.

First they practically disown any new first party games on the PS Vita, then there was that interview you guys did with their rep where he basically refused to acknowledge any issues surrounding the lack of exclusive games for the PlayStation 4, and now this whole EA Access debacle.

EA do a lot of things wrong, very wrong, but offering up their back catalogue of games for £20 pound a year seems pretty reasonable to me. So the stories about Microsoft and EA being in bed together were actually more about Sony refusing a service for their console owners and taking away their right to choose.

I’m guessing its got something to do with PlayStation Plus and Origin integration, but saying they did it because they feel it doesn’t offer good value shows just how dumb they think gamers are. I’m starting to wonder if Microsoft and Sony have decided to switch corners, maybe they’ve even hired the genius that is Don Mattrick to head up their games division. It would explain a lot. That 4thegamers tag line seems to become more ironic with each passing month.JB316

GC: We agree, that’s not the reason Sony said no to it. We’re not sure we even want to know the precise reason though, because it’ll no doubt be depressingly underhanded.

Access query
I saw the news regarding EA Access and was rather dubious, I later received a message over Xbox Live stating that I was invited into the EA Access Hub Beta by way of being a member of the preview program. At first glance it seems to be a spiritual successor to the Season Ticket they ran on last gen, with an instant game collection added into the mix.

On installing the Hub you are presented with an info screen and the option to sign up or continue through to the Hub proper, I chose to sign up to check if the 12 month subscription price would be visible and it was, it is currently £19.99 but I’m not sure if this is a reduced price for the length of the beta or whether it will be the launch price. The Hub itself has the basic Xbox One layout, with a tile for The Vault giving easy access to the free games.

The Access benefits are applied to the Xbox Store directly too, so a free title shows as being free and other EA titles display the 10% discount.

A pretty positive experience so far, which seems too good to be true. So, a question arises. How soon will new games be added to the vault? Will EA wait three to six months until we have all gone out to buy the latest FIFA/Madden before adding it to the vault or will it available from launch?

It should be noted that Titanfall is excluded from EA Access.Vegeta01 (gamertag)

All-new experience
Slightly late to the Oddworld party but just wanted to say how great New ‘N’ Tasty is and what a fascinating (and depressing) read the interview with Lorne Lanning was. I have very fond childhood memories of the original but I was terrible at it and never saw the end. The remake is a lot easier, but not in a patronising way: it’s just more like a modern game that tries to challenge you but not punish mistakes.

I know it seems an unusual amount of money for a download but for me it is absolutely worth it and I’d buy a retail version in a heartbeat. I particuarly reject the idea that ‘only’ being a remake means It has to be cheap.

The best way to think about it is as a new adaptation of the same material. You don’t expect a new movie or something to be cheap or second-rate just because it’s based on something that already exists and New ‘N’ Tasty to me feels like a brand new game, just one that takes a great old game and makes it an even better new one.Tolly

No quick fixes
So I guess it’s not going to be an instant turnaround for Nintendo when it comes to making a profit again. I guess it’s not too bad, or particularly unexpected, but I still think it’s sad that the company is still making a loss. Especially as the 3DS is starting drag the company down just as the Wii U starts to turnaround.

Nearly 3 million sales for Mario Kart 8 is fantastic though and with the increasing sales of the Wii U proof that it doesn’t have to be a complete failure and that no console’s fate is set until at least three years into its lifespan. Something that Microsoft will no doubt be telling themselves more and more lately.Gadfly

True horror
Following the letters about Resident Evil 6 and what to do about the next game can I just draw people’s attention to the terror that is Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City? I should really, I’m only do so because I recently had the displeasure of playing it and I feel the need to dirty everyone else’s psyche in the same way. But good lord is this a terrible game.

It’s not the terrible script, awful controls, non-existent artificial intelligence, bland gunplay, or PlayStation 2 era visuals that upsets me though, but more the idea of what anyone involved could possibly have been thinking when they first okayed the project.

A co-op game set during an alternative history version of Resident Evil 2 where you play bad guys hunting down Leon S. Kennedy? Who comes up with this stuff?! And then, in typical Capcom style, they get a non-talent Western developer to make it and all involved loose money, face, and mental health. Frankly I’d can the whole franchise now just to avoid another of these, never mind a numebred sequel.Gamjey

Another old idea
I really like The Last Of Us but with all the negative comments about The Last Of Us having a sequel, I thought I would offer my two pence worth. Why not have a sequel? It doesn’t have to feature any of the original cast. Why can’t it feature all new people? If Naughty Dog make it set in Europe all that would be carried over is the infected. Being set in Europe, the developers could really show how badly man can treat others during times of hardships and lawlessness although looking at the news you don’t need a game for that.

*SPOILER*
It would also help to show that there is more than America with immune people running around because the odds of just one kid being immune to the infection when there are currently over seven billion people on the planet are massive. Yes, I know it is called The Last Of Us but come on, one person out of all those people, worldwide?
*SPOILER*

The Last Of Us didn’t even have an original story so the developers can just use another one and try to make it as tense in parts but leave room for blasting your way out of trouble too. I never get how, as I pointed out this is America, yet the ammo is super limited for the player but all of the enemies seem to have loads.

Most post apocalyptic stories all seem to have a travelling theme so that might be where they could start. Possibly flip it so the story is about people trying to stop someone getting somewhere. Obviously I am no scriptwriter but there are ways to pull out a great game out of an old idea.Bobwalllett

Withdrawal symptoms
I said I would wait until October to buy Destiny. That lasted all of three days. I pre-ordered it yesterday. This is a fairly accurate depiction of how I have slept since the Beta ended.

My nephew put it this way. Destiny is the water.

Biglizafish (gamertag)

Inbox also-rans
I still have trouble dealing with the fact that Harrison Ford is a boring, grumpy old man so I can’t tell you what a relief it is to find out Sigourney Weaver is a friendly, intelligent woman.Ashton Morley

So, err… apparently one of the main guys behind Eternal Darkness is now in jail on child pornography charges. So I guess that’s one sequel we’ll never be seeing. Somehow I doubt anybody would want to now.Toby Jug

This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Joe90, who asks what’s the most famous video game franchise you’ve never played?

In the style of TV show I’ve Never Seen Star Wars, what well-known game have you never played and why? Is there a long-running series that you’ve never played a single example of and how have you managed to avoid it for so long?

Have you purposefully ignored the game because you don’t think you’d like it? Is it because you’ve never owned the necessary console or is there some other more complicated reason? Have you played any other similar games and what do you think of them? Do you regret not playing the game in question and are there any games that you’ve also not played for a long time, but did eventually get around to?